Dušan Radić (b. 1929 in Sombor) graduated from the Academy of Music in Belgrade in 1954 in the class of Milenko Živković. The following 25 years he was a free-lance artist. Music Academy in Belgrade validated his diploma at the master’s level in 1962. In 1979 he became associate professor at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad. He has been a member of the Serbian Composers Association since 1949. He was admitted to the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts in 1972 as a corresponding member, and in 1983 he was given full membership. He made study trips to Paris, Washington DC, Rome, Moscow, Leningrad, Riga, Kiev, Prague and London.

He has written around 200 works including: operas Love is the Main Thing and The Death of the Jugovic Mother (hitherto unperformed); ballet Ballad of the Wandering Moon; orchestral works Sinfonietta; Concertino for clarinet and orchestra Variations on a Folk Theme, Symphonic Images; Divertimento for string orchestra; Sinfonia Serena; a series of chamber works, Sonata lesta for piano – which was, together with his choral work Little Tumults selected by the Opatija Review of Yugoslav Composers for the Anthology of Yugoslav Music – as well as large vocal-instrumental works: The Tower of  Skulls; Waiting for Maria; The Upright Land; triptych Possessed Serenity; Schoolmasters; Vuk’s Serbia; Voices from Šumarice; Oratorio profano. A series of compositions were performed at festivals in former Yugoslavia (Belgrade Music Festival, Opatija Review, Zagreb Biennale, International Review of Composers), and also abroad (Stockholm, Sorrento, Genoa, Venice). Part of the music of Dušan Radić belongs to the domain of film music, for about twenty domestic and foreign motion pictures; also music for theater, radio and TV dramas. He published three collections of poetry. For his artistic achievements he won several awards and recognitions: Diploma di Merito rilasciato in Veracelli (1952); Award of the Yugoslav Composers Alliance (1954), October Award of the City of Belgrade; Award of the Pula Film Festival (1963), Petar Konjovič Award (1972) etc.

Enigmatic Arabesque, for two harps

What can one say about a “mignonne” piece? Not even about my extensive works do I like to speak, let along the petty ones. And yet! The very name “Arabesque” points to decorative sonic patterns enigmatically circling around, and to minimalist treatment. Splashing, somewhat shocking rhythms deprived of melodic efficacy. Even this much is too much. Use your imagination to imbue the abstract music with an earthly sensuous feeling.